The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of herbaceous perennial, more particularly to a variety of hibiscus.
The new cultivar was found by Douglas B. Gilberg in the cultivated outdoor breeding area of Gilberg Perennial Farms, Inc., in Wildwood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, Mo. The new cultivar is evidently the result of natural cross-pollination. It was found on one branch of a red seedling (unnamed and unpatented) in a cultivated area. Its parentage cannot be identified. The plant is a hybrid of unnamed and unpatented parentage. I have asexually reproduced the plant by root crown division in a greenhouse located at the nursery of Gilberg Perennial Farms, 3209 Bouquet Road, Pacific, Mo. 63069. The plant has also been reproduced by vegetative reproduction, i.e., by tip and stem cuttings. The present cultivar is a herbaceous perennial; the stalks die back to ground level every winter and new stalks emerge in late spring. The trade name xe2x80x9cPITTER PATTIxe2x80x9d has been coined for this cultivar, although the cultivar was neither marketed nor was its existence made public prior to the filing of the present plant patent application.
The present cultivar is distinguished by having flowers of from ten to twelve inches in diameter. These unusually large flowers can be cut and used for centerpiece displays. By comparison, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Chinese Hibiscus Rose of China) flowers are two to six inches in diameter, and Hibiscus syriacus (Rose-of-Sharon or Althea) flowers are three to six inches in diameter.
The greatest number of flowers for the present cultivar was obtained in environments of half to full sun. The largest flowers were obtained at summer temperatures from 70 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Smaller flowers were observed to bloom at temperatures as low as 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reproduction by root crown division consistently produces plants with identical, stable characteristics. A further botanical description of the new variety follows below. In the following descriptions, color references are made to The R.H.S. Colour Chart (1995, The Royal Horticultural Society), except where general terms of ordinary significance are used. Distinguishing color characteristics are listed on the attached Plant Color Coding Sheet. The distinguishing characteristics listed thereon should not necessarily be assumed to be exhaustive. Although the listed characteristics are believed to be the primary distinguishing color characteristics of the cultivar, it is possible that others may become evident upon further observation and comparison with other cultivars. These descriptions were made from specimens reproduced and grown under greenhouse and outdoor gardening conditions in suburban St. Louis, Mo.